Dichotomy
by EdenAdvance
Summary: While solving a homicide, Sara has a strange vision of the murder. It seems to be the only real connection to the murder. !updated with chapter 10!
1. Prologue

Dichotomy

TITLE: Dichotomy   
AUTHOR: EdenAdvance   
DISCLAIMER: Don't own any of the Witchblade characters, but the story idea was mine, so are the characters that were previously unfamiliar to you...   
SUMMARY: While solving a homicide, Sara is plagued by dreams of an ancient battle. When she confronts a distraught Irons, Ian turns out be missing.   
FEEDBACK: Yes, let me know what you think of my second Witchblade fic, even if you hate it.

Prologue

The blade could feel the disturbance in the balance between good and evil. It felt the disturbance come closer to the blades location, searching for something; searching for someone. 

As the shift in balance came close enough, the Witchblade could feel at least two sources; one of pure evil and one a source of good power.

They were searching eachother, searching for a way to end their everlasting battle that surpassed time. A battle that could lead the world into darkness and death; or could lead the world into a time of light, a time where sickness and darkness would not reign. 

The blade remembered the two sources from long ago, when the three powers had met for the first time. The darker source had won, killing the blade's Wielder and leaving the white source injured. Dark times had ruled the world, filled it with war and decease. It had meant the end of some species, weakening others. During that time, the darkness had won many followers, who were still existing these days. Immortals, living only to serve the darkness and to destroy it's enemies, to destroy the good in the world. 

It wouldn't be long before the blade would meet with them, as it was foretold long ago. One, a powerful opponent, the other a powerful ally, but which would it be? 

Soon, the blade's master and Wielder would meet her ultimate test. But first, she would need to learn about the blade's history. She would need to learn about the upcoming battle, would need to prepare for it. 

The balance between the two forces need to be set right again...

Soon...

Okay, so if you like the beginning of this and you want to read more, let me know. It might take a while, but if enough people want it, I'll write the rest too. I have the lot more or less in my head now.


	2. Lessons

Lessons 

A/N: I upped the rating a bit, 'cause it just has too much blood for kids. Fear my muses, people. They need reviews too, otherwise they go on strike. Help me here. 

Lessons

As the alarm started blared through the apartment, a sleepy head appeared from underneath the blankets and pillow. Slamming a hand on the alarm clock, effectively silencing it, Sara Pezzini played with the thought of going back to sleep, when someone knocked on her door two times. When she didn't answer or made a move towards her door, the person started knocking on her door incessantly. 

"Alright, I'm coming!" She called; making whomever it was knocking on her door at this hour stop for a moment, before taking up his knocking again. Sighing, Sara got up and walked towards the door. 

Opening it, she was met by her partner. 

'A very awake partner', she mentally added. 

"What is it Jake?" she asked, opening the door wider, so he could walk into her apartment. "Tell me what was so important you had to come knocking on my door at…" she glanced at a nearby clock, "six thirty in the morning." She followed him into the kitchen, where he was rummaging through her fridge. "Surely, it wasn't because you were hungry." 

Jake straightened up, closing the fridge. "Why is it that this thing is always stocked with great food?" He asked, leaning against the counter. 

Sara sighed. "Jake…" she started, not in the mood for games. 

"Alright, I just dropped by to pick you up. Someone complained about a lot of noise last night. When two cops came by to check it out, they found something. Apparently, there's been a murder." He said, reaching for an apple. 

"You could've called…" Sara started, but Jake interrupted her. 

"I did. Nobody answered, so I figured I might as well drop by to wake you. Your apartment is on the way there, so it would be quicker if I just picked you up anyway." He spoke with his mouth full. 

Sara sighed. "Wait downstairs while I get dressed, I'll be there in a few minutes." She answered, already moving towards the bathroom. 

Jake followed her with her eyes, mumbling, "Sure," as he watched her disappear in the bathroom. Taking a last bite from his apple, he tossed the remains in the trashcan, before heading towards the door.

True to her word, Sara was sitting in the car five minutes later, the Witchblade securely on her wrist. Jake handed her a cup of coffee, which she gratefully accepted. 

"Do you know what to expect?" Sara asked, sipping from her coffee. 

Jake shook his head. "No, they didn't gave me any details, except that it was gruesome." He replied, watching his partner from the corner of his eye. 

Sara smiled and Jake didn't know if it was because of his choice of his words or if it was something else. 

"What?" he asked, glancing at her for a few seconds, before looking back at the road. 

"Nothing." Sara replied, drinking the last of her coffee. "It's just, you make it sound like it is some bad horror movie." She said. 

Jake grinned in reply as he turned left into an ally. 

Red and blue lights were illuminating the ally, since it was still dark outside. Near the wall, they could see a white blanket, covering a body. Getting out of the car, Sara could make out another blanket near the opposite wall.

Frowning, she walked to one of the cops. She didn't look behind her to see Jake following her to the group of cops talking to eachother. 

"What happened?" Sara asked, glancing at the hidden body. "Two murders?" 

One of the cops looked at her. "No, there's just one body. The thing the other cloth is covering over there," he pointed to the second white cloth covering something, "is in fact an arm. The body we found is missing one of his arms and his head." He reached for his flashlight and, turning it on, he showed pools of red. "There's blood everywhere, so watch where you are going." The cop turned to the walls on one side. "Blood on one of the walls too, so I'd say that's where the guy was murdered." Sara could see the wall glittering where the light reflected on the red fluid. 

"You guys haven't found his head yet?" Jake asked, walking towards the body, carefully avoiding the pools of blood. 

The cop Sara had been talking to shook his head. "No, we haven't. They're still searching the trash containers nearby, but so far, we've found nothing." He turned to Sara again. "We took fingerprints of the body." He said. 

Sara nodded and walked towards the cloth covering the arm and kneeled next to it. Uncovering the arm, the stench invaded her nostrils. Looking away for a moment, she breathed in the cleaner air, before looking back. Seeing nothing that could help her solve this murder, she dropped the cloth and was joined by Jake.

"You should see the body," Jake spoke, having seen the dismembered arm for a few seconds, before Sara had covered it again. "The guy died a painful death. He's got cuts all over his body and a huge stab wound in his side." Jake informed her. She noticed he looked a little paler than when he had picked her up at her apartment.

Sara nodded and standing up, she walked towards the body. Expecting the foul smell, she closed her nose before uncovering the body. Almost immediately, her ears were filled with screams of pain. Before her, she saw the man breathing, alive. He still had his head and both arms. He seemed to be backing away from her when she reached for him. He looked as if he was seeing Death itself. 

Sara tried to look behind her, but felt she couldn't moved at all. Her heart skipped a beat when a dark form passed through her, holding a large sword. She couldn't make out the features of his face, because the form had its back turned to her and didn't seem to notice her presence at all. 

Sara could hear the man pleading, begging for his life. The words sounded blurred in her ears. When she heard the first scream, she wanted to close her eyes, but felt she couldn't. Her eyes were drawn to the blood dripping form the sharp blade to the ground, when she suddenly saw another form, coming closer. 

Time slowed as the two forms moved closer and started to circle eachother and Sara felt the Witchblade starting to hum on her arm. When the darkened form moved aside, she noticed the other person had a sword as well. She could hear the two speak, argue with eachother, but Sara couldn't understand the words. 

She wanted the vision to end, but she couldn't do anything, except watch as the two forms attacked eachother. She glanced at the man, now bleeding to death slowly as the two forms fought eachother with strength. The blades connected and for a moment, the ally was illuminated by the sparks flying of their blades whenever they connected. Still, Sara couldn't identify either of them. 

Her eyes were drawn to the victim again and now she could make out the gashes on his naked body. Blood was pouring from the wounds and the man was whimpering from the pain the wounds were causing. 

When a loud cry rang through the night, Sara looked up at the battle taking place not far from her. One arm lay severed near a wall; the other's sword had connected with the dark form's arm and cut it beneath the elbow. He said something to the other, who started to disappear in a forming mist, leaving Sara alone with the victim and the murderer, who was now turning back to admire his work. 

Sara's surroundings began to fade, but not before she could witness how the dark person raised his sword high and lowered it on the innocent victim's arm. His cry rang in her ears as someone shook her. 

"Sara… are you okay?" 

She looked up in the worried face of Jake. She was still kneeling by the uncovered body and she glanced at it for a few seconds. Her vision was still going through the back of her head. 

"I'm okay, Jake. I was…" she thought for a moment, "I was just thinking. Could you take fingerprints from the other hand?" she asked, looking up at Jake. "Just to be sure." She added silently.

Her partner nodded and left her with the body. Closing her eyes, she could hear the sounds of her vision in her ears. Then, with a final glance at the murdered man, she got up and walked back to Jake's car. 

Leaning against the hood, she took a few gulps of fresh air. 

"Sometimes it's good to be dead." Danny said behind her. "You don't have to smell the air to know it's bad." He said, coming to stand next to her. 

"I don't know, Danny. I always hate the weird ones." Sara responded, looking at her new partner taking fingerprints like she had asked. 

"Listen to what it is telling you." Danny said and before Sara could ask what he meant with that, he had already disappeared. 

"Hey, ready to go? There's nothing to find here. The cops who found the body took a statement from the caller already." Jake said as he walked towards her. He held up the fingerprints he had taken and handed them over to Sara. "I got the fingerprints like you asked." 

Sara nodded and got in the car. "Let's go." 

************

From a rooftop, he watched the two drive away. He had studied to woman as she examined the corpse. Satisfied with his results, knowing he had found the one he had been looking for, he decided he should follow the woman. Soon it would be time for the final confrontation and the chosen one needed to take her place once more. It would be like it had been again. 

Looking down at his new arm, he scratched the scar. The other had hurt him this time, but it wouldn't happen again. After the battle, he would rule the world once more. 

Alright, I'm expecting reviews, so if you would be kind enough to click on the box below and write something in return, I'd love you in a platonic way. Scream at me if you want to, I'll still love you in a platonic way. So, uhh, let me know if I need to write more. Yeah, that's it. Bye.   
PS: Chapter 2 will come when the number of reviews reaches my age. That'll be 18.


	3. The Truth is Out There

Dichotomy 

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, keep it up. Let me know what you think of the next chapter. 

Chapter 2 - The Truth is Out There…

As they drove to the precinct in silence, Jake suddenly turned and parked in front of a coffee shop. Sara raised her eyebrows in surprise. 

"I need some breakfast and coffee and I'm sure you need some too." Jake explained as they entered the building, which was almost empty, except for a cook, a waitress and a lone customer sitting by the far wall. 

Jake picked an empty booth and watched as Sara sat down opposite of him. 

Sara looked at Jake as he ordered breakfast for both of them. From the corner of her eye, she saw the waitress smile at her and turn back to the counter to give the cook their orders.

"So, what do you think about this case?" Jake asked, idly playing with the menu.

Sara shrugged. "I don't know yet." She replied, looking at the few people passing by outside. 

None of them spoke when the waitress returned with two plates in her hand, which she set down on the table. She returned to her place behind the counter after throwing a "enjoy your breakfast" over her shoulder.

Sara watched as Jake started with his breakfast and thought about the vision she had earlier while visiting the crime scene. The vision had shown her that there had been three people that night: one of them was dead, the murderer had lost his arm and the third unknown had disappeared again. The Blade had shown her everything, except where the head had gone to after the killer had finished his work. Troubled, she looked down at her forgotten breakfast. 

With a final thought of her vision, she lifted her fork to start her breakfast, but found she had lost her appetite and wasn't hungry anymore. Jake however, was nearly finished with his breakfast when she looked up again. 

She took a few bites anyway, before pushing the plate aside and picking up her coffee. "I'm not really hungry." She said, feeling she had to tell Jake at least something. 

Jake nodded and standing up, he headed towards the young waitress to pay. 

When Sara and Jake reached the station an hour later and entered their office, Sara found a small note sitting on her desk. Picking it up, she read the words on the piece of paper.

"What does it say?" Jake asked, dropping in his chair. 

"It's from Vicky, telling me to come down as soon as I can. She found something interesting on the body we investigated this morning." Sara replied, not taking her eyes from the note. 

When she did look up, Jake was already waiting near the door. Together, they walked towards the elevator, where Jake hit the button with his fist. Using force seemed the only way to get the elevator to work, which was a thing Jake had learned on his first day when he had been waiting for the thing to show up for nearly fifteen minutes, before someone showed him the way

It didn't take them long to reach the morgue, where Vicky was already waiting for them. She had been waiting near one of the examination tables, where the victim of this morning was resting. 

"What did you find?" Sara asked, glancing at the covered body as she made her way over to the woman.

Vicky led them to the table and uncovered the corpse. 

"Something you might be familiar with." Vicky said to Sara. "Remember the Rialto? Some of the men there were killed with a sword, remember?" When Sara nodded, she continued. "While this one was killed differently, the wounds were made with a blade similar to the one used in the Rialto. It was the same kind of metal." 

Sara looked at the wounds of the corpse in front of her. "And the arm? Do you know anything about that yet?" 

Vicky nodded. "I was working on the arm before you came in, it's in storage." She said, making her way over to a storage locker. Pulling it open, the three were met with the smell of decomposing flesh. Before them lay nothing more than bone and a few pieces of flesh. The bone was covered in maggots, eating away the last flesh on the bone. 

"What the…" Jake spoke, taking a few steps backwards. "What happened?" 

"I-I don't know. This isn't supposed to happen." Vicky replied, closing the container again. 

Sara dug in her pocket. "It's a good thing we have fingerprints." She said, holding up the fingerprints Jake took earlier. She handed them to Vicky. "Have them compared to the other hand." 

"You think it's not his arm?" Jake asked, pointing at the dead body lying motionless on the table. 

"I have a feeling, Jake. It tells me that something wasn't right at the crime scene this morning." Sara replied as she made her way to the door. "Do they know who it was yet?" she asked, turning around again. 

"Yeah, they made an ID from the other fingerprints. The file is on your desk right about now." Vicky replied. "I'll tell them to hurry up with these." She held up the small sheet with fingerprints. "Hey Sara?" 

The homicide detective turned around again. 

"I didn't tell anyone else about the link to the Rialto. Thought you should be the first to know, with what happened to Danny…" She left the rest of the sentence unfinished, but all three living occupants of the room knew what she meant. 

Sara nodded. "Thanks Vick, I appreciate it." She said, before she disappeared through the door. 

Jake took one last look in the direction of the storing freezers, before following his partner back upstairs. He caught up with her at the elevator, where she was waiting for him. As they stood in the wagon, no one said a word. Both times when Jake glanced at Sara, she was looking at the floor, deep in thought, or so it seemed to Jake. 

Inside, Sara was in turmoil. The vision had shown her the killer had a sword, but it couldn't have been the Witchblade. She glanced at the bracelet, lying silent on her wrist, before resuming her train of thoughts again. Irons had said there was only one of the Witchblade, hadn't he? She wasn't so sure anymore. What if there were others? Others like her? How would the Witchblade know who was its real Wielder and who was the Pretender? Was she a Pretender? 

She blinked. 

'Woah, where had that come from?' she thought. 

She was brought out of her reverie when Jake's hand descended on her shoulder. 

"Pez, you all right?" came his soft voice from her left. She looked up at him, then at the door, which stood open, waiting until they had gotten out of the elevator. Looking back at her partner, she nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks Jake." She said, moving towards the quietness of her office, followed by a silent Jake. She could feel his eyes in her back as he walked behind her. 

Entering her office, she picked up the file Vicky had told her about. Opening it, she briefly glanced at its contents. Pausing at the picture of the victim, she stared at it for a moment. She had seen the same man in her vision now a few hours ago. Closing her eyes for a moment, she tossed the folder back on her desk and sat down. When she opened them again, Jake was looking at her from across their desks, the folder in his hands. 

"Why doesn't it surprise me that he was a member of some sick sect? I bet he told his friends he was going to leave them and they killed him to keep it quiet." Jake said, following her movement from earlier by tossing the file back on his desk. He started reciting what he had read moments earlier. 

"Jack Morson. Got no relatives, never married, led a quiet live. Has no religion other than his sect, no job either. He did have a roof above his head, though." He looked at Sara. "What do you say, check it out?" 

They found the street rather easily, even if it wasn't in one of New York's better places. Finding the apartment was another story. Eventually, they found the man that owned the building and who knew Jack Morson personally. He led them to the upper floor of a building that had once been a warehouse used for storing all kinds of things. 

"Sure, I knew him. Jack was a quiet man; I'm sure he has never harmed a fly in his entire life. Don't know about his friends though. Not that they weren't quiet, but they were strange. Always whispering, things like that." The landlord told them when they asked what kind of man Jack had been. "I haven't seen them for about three or four weeks now. Jack told me he was planning on moving, leaving town. Thought he might try to find a place up north, in Canada." 

Jake nodded as he took notes, while Sara looked around in the dark attic room. "What do you know about his job?" He asked, once the man had turned silent. 

"I don't really know if he had a job. I mean, he never left this place, except to get groceries, things like that. He always had money though, 'cause he never paid his rent one day late. That's about all I can tell you about Jack. Do you know who killed him yet?" The man asked as he watched Jake write down what he had told him about the victim. 

Jake shook his head. "No sir, but we're hoping we'll catch him soon." 

This seemed to be enough for the man, because he left them alone to search the apartment. Jake walked towards Sara, who sat hunched in a darkened corner of the bedroom.

"Did you find something?" He asked as he looked over her shoulder. 

She held up a crude drawing of a dragon of some kind for him to see. "Maybe it means something." She said as she bagged the piece of paper. Looking around her for another moment, she got up and walked towards the door, followed by Jake, who was looking in all directions for anything his partner might've missed. 

Once they were driving back towards the precinct, Sara read through the file again, hoping to find something linking slaughtered man to the Witchblade or to her findings. Not finding anything, she tossed the file with the evidence bag on the dashboard and rubbed her eyes.

Jake glanced sideways once he was sure she was looking outside. "You're sure you're okay?" He asked, glancing back and forth between her and the road. "You look tired or..." 

She turned her head. "Or what?" she asked. 

"I don't know… disturbed or something." He finished; his eyes fixed on the road once more. 

"I'm okay." She replied, before looking back outside again. 

Neither of them spoke another word until they reached the police station. When they got out of the car and walked towards the door, Sara turned around and stopped Jake.

"I think I know someone who could help us with this drawing," she held up the evidence bag for Jake to see, "so I'm going to pay him a visit. If you could check with Vicky and see if she knows something more about our headless friend yet, I'll be back before you know it." She spoke and opened the door while Jake nodded his agreement.

When Sara entered their office, she did a double take when she noticed Danny sitting in his old chair. Reaching for her helmet, she spoke to him. "I know it's hard to forget you're dead, but you can't tell me you miss it this much." 

Danny smiled in return. "It was a nice chair… I think mine is more comfortable than yours is. One thing I don't miss is the coffee." He replied, while eyeing Jake's empty coffee mug. He looked at her again. "So, are you getting any further with the case?" He asked, getting up to stand in front of her. 

"No, which is probably why you are here…" she replied cautiously. "Would you mind explaining your advice from this morning? Because I listen and watched what this thing," She motioned at the bracelet, "is telling me and it hasn't helped me so far." When she noticed a few cops were looking up in her direction, she lowered her voice. "Surely, there are some more wise ancient words following the things you said this morning."

Danny seemed to think for a moment, before smiling at her. "No, not really. Let's say that the key word of today is dead, as in being dead, dying, non-living. You'll get the picture soon enough." He sighed. "But, if you need wise words, I'll think of something."

He turned towards the door. "Past, Present and Future will decide about Fate once the stars are ordered." Then, his form started to fade, leaving Sara to stare at an empty hallway. 

She raised her eyebrows. "Danny, you're full of crap." She spoke to the empty air, before leaving for the exit. "Wise words, my ass." She muttered. 

Sorry, no cliffhanger today. Please let me know what you think of the latest chapter by clicking on the button below. I promise I'll try to upload more soon. As soon as I get the chance to kill my muse. 


	4. Ancient Future

A/N: Here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed the story so far and keep reviewing it. If there's something that's troubling you, let me know. Trust me, all will be explained once my muse is done resurrecting Conchobar. I hope you like this chapter and remember to leave a message at the end, okay?

Chapter III - Ancient Future

As Sara drove through the city, she thought about what Danny had said in her office. Nothing he had said to her made a lot of sense and Sara couldn't discover the connection between the drawing she had found, the murder and 'past, present and future'. 

Arriving at her destination, she quickly parked her bike and tried the door of Talismaniac.com. It didn't surprise her that the door opened at her first try, Gabriel was far too trusting after all and he wasn't afraid of Ian ever since he had chosen to ignore the threats made by the man. 

She followed the stairs upstairs, calling out to Gabe to let him know it was only her paying a visit. He was waiting for her when she reached the first floor. 

"I wasn't expecting you." He said. "Didn't find anything new about the Witchblade yet." He walked towards a table covered in relics and talismans. 

"I didn't came for the Witchblade. I need you to take a look at this drawing." She reached in her bag for the evidence bag holding the drawing and handed it to the young man. 

Gabriel observed the drawing for a few seconds. "Well, it's a very ugly dragon." Looking up, he smiled at Sara. "I'm kidding. I'll see what I can find out about this. Where did you find it?"

"At the house of a murdered man. He was part of a sect, that's all we know." She turned to leave, but remembered something. "Gabe, do you know of another Witchblade?" She asked. 

He looked at her in surprise. "Another Witchblade? No, all the texts I found speak of only one unique weapon. You're carrying it. Why do you ask?" 

"I saw a sword in a vision and the murder weapon was made of the same metal as the murder weapon used in the Rialto. Now, I know the weapon used there wasn't this Witchblade, so explain to me how it is possible that someone else has a sword made from this metal?" She said, pointing at her bracelet. 

Gabriel shrugged. "I can't. I'll have to do some research on that. I'll call you when I know more about the Blade and this." He held up the drawing. 

Sara nodded and started for the stairs.

"So, you do have clairvoyance?" Gabe called after her. 

She laughed and waved him off. "Go do some research…" 

He watched the door close behind her and turned back to his work. 

"I knew it." He muttered as he picked up the drawing and took a good look at it. "I still think it's ugly." 

As Sara stood outside Gabriel's apartment, her cell rang. Looking at the small LCD screen, she saw it was Jake calling her. 

"Pez, I got some news about those fingerprints. They don't match those of the deceased." 

"It could be our killer." Sara replied. 

"I thought so, so I ran them through the database. It came up with nothing, nada, zip. The FBI doesn't have anything on those prints, nor do the CIA or Interpol. It's like the killer doesn't exists." Jake said. 

Sara sighed. "Alright, thanks for letting me know. I got one more stop to make before I head back to the precinct. Let me know if you find something, okay?" 

"Yeah, I'll see you back here." 

She put the cell phone back in her pocket and mounted her bike. Gunning the engine, she took off in the direction of Vorschlage, hoping to find some answers there. 

***********

He found it difficult to concentrate as he tracked the Wielder through the city. For a moment, he was concerned that he might have lost her, but soon he had picked up on her faint scent once more. He tried to keep up with her, but in the end, he felt he was depleting his power too much. If the other would locate him in this condition, it would be the end of him.

So, he called out to his loyal followers to join him in this large and dark city. It would take a while for his followers to come to him, as they had been drifting around the globe for centuries, dormant, waiting for an opportunity to serve their master, as he was now doing. 

He was different than them. The master had chosen him as the bearer of the quest for the ultimate power. His predecessor had failed in this mission; he had been too weak to finish the fight centuries ago. His victory hadn't been enough for their master; it had only given them incomplete power of the world. Their master had only been able to cause illness and war; it had been unable to spread death instantly. Those who had died had done so from being ill or had been killed by their opponents on the battlefield. 

He looked upwards, toward the darkening sky. Soon the moon would replace the sun and he would know how much time there was left, before the Reckoning would take place. 

He remembered a passage from a text he had once studied, long ago. The history of his side and the story of the Reckoning had fascinated him, and he had never forgotten the story. He recited it in his mind. 

'As the stars aligned themselves with the past, the present and the future, the Reckoning would commence. Forces gathered from the gates of hell, ready to receive their offerings. As the day turned night, Dark and Light would meet on an empty battlefield, carrying only a blade blessed by their masters.' 

He sighed as he remembered witnessing his first Reckoning. It had been a great battle but no winner had come forth.

He turned back to the streets below, watching the traffic rush by. The wind was blowing in his face gently, and he could still catch the Wielders scent. She had stopped moving again. 

*************

Sara waited patiently as the group of people filtered out of the elevator. Once it was empty, she rushed inside and pressed the button of the desired floor. Leaning against the wall, she watched the doors open a few seconds later. She looked at the display, which read level 14. She took a few steps forward, seeing no one who was waiting for the elevator. 

Suddenly, a man stepped into view, causing Sara to take a few steps back. 

"I'm sorry if I have frightened you, young lady." The man spoke as he took his place in the elevator. "It was not my intention." He pressed the already lit up button and the doors closed. 

Sara watched the stranger as he stood in the other corner, watching the elevator doors intently. He was dressed completely in black, with heavy combat boots on his feet. She briefly remembered her encounter with the two last members of the Black Dragon unit, at least, as far as she knew. 

As if feeling her eyes burning in him, the stranger turned his head in her direction and smiled. Involuntary, Sara shuddered, feeling a cold wave pass through her. It disappeared when the elevator came to a stop and the door opened. She quickly left the man behind in the elevator, looking behind her to see if he was following. She didn't see Ian waiting for her, before crashing into him. 

"Are you alright, Lady Sara?" He asked after he had steadied her. 

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Didn't see you standing there." She replied as he led her to Irons' office. She was sure he wanted to ask further, but he remained silent as he opened the doors to the office. He didn't follow her inside.

Irons was seated at his desk when the doors opened and when he saw her enter, he stood up to greet her. 

"Detective, to whom do I owe this unexpected visit?" He spoke as he raised her hand for a kiss. "I was just about to call. I wanted to ask if you would like to have dinner with me tonight." 

"That's not what I'm here for. I came for information about Ian's old unit, the Black Dragons? I need to know for sure that Ian Nottingham is the only remaining member." 

Irons sat down again. "I thought you knew the answer to that question already." He looked away. "Ian is the only one left of that unit. You killed Mobius with the Witchblade. Why do you ask?" 

Sara leaned on the desk, trying to look Irons in the eye. "Because I found something very interesting this morning." 

He returned her stare as he leaned towards her. "And what might that be?" 

"A drawing of a dragon. It was a crude one, but it definitely was a dragon." She replied. "I found it while searching the apartment of a murder victim." 

"As I said, Ian is the only one alive and he has nothing to do with the Black Dragons." 

Sara nodded and stood up. She walked towards the door, but didn't open it at once. 

"Is there something else you wanted to ask me?" Irons asked from behind her. 

She turned around. "Is there another Witchblade?" 

It was silent as Irons stood up and crossed the room to stand in front of her. "The Witchblade is unique in its kind. If there would be another, it would've been in my possession as well." He glanced at the bracelet resting on Sara's wrist. 

Sara didn't spoke a word as she turned to open the door. Storming past Ian towards the elevator, she didn't see the stranger she had met earlier, watching her from afar. 

Irons watched her disappear in the elevator, before turning to Ian. 

"Stay close to her and protect the Witchblade at all times, do you understand?" 

Ian nodded and left in the direction Sara had taken. Instead of taking the elevator, he took the stairs three levels lower and waited for the elevator to arrive. When the doors opened and he strode in, not glancing at Sara, knowing a surprised look was present in her eyes. He took place in the corner behind her, eyes cast downward. 

After five minutes of silence, Sara turned around to face Ian. 

"Did Irons send you?" She asked, trying to look into his eyes, but he was avoiding her look. 

"I'm here to watch over the Witchblade." He replied. "To watch over you." He said, raising his head to look over her shoulder. 

She nodded. "Well, I don't need a watchdog, so you can go back to your master to tell him I said that." She turned around as the elevator doors opened and quickly walked towards the exit. 

Ian followed her with his eyes until she was out of sight, before following in her direction. He didn't see the stranger dressed in black following him silently, nor did he see the hooded figure standing at the corner of the building, watching him. 

***********

When Sara entered her office thirty minutes later, Jake looked up from his reading. 

"Did you find anything new?" He asked, putting the file he had been reading on the corner of his desk. 

She fell down in her chair and sighed. "Not really. I have someone checking that drawing out, he'll call me when he finds anything. Then, I went to Irons. I thought he might know something, seeing he was involved with the Black Dragons case, but he couldn't help me any further." She wanted to tell him about the stranger in the elevator and about Ian, but for some reason, she didn't say a word about them. She didn't want to explain her connection with Irons to Jake. 

Jake stood up and reached for his coat. "It's getting late, do you want to grab a beer someplace?" He asked. "I'll buy…" 

Sara stared at him for a moment, before getting up and picking up her helmet. "Sure, a beer sounds fine." 

Jake grinned at her as he held the door open for her and followed her outside. "So I'll see you at Felipe's?" 

Sara nodded as she put on her helmet and climbed on her bike. "Sure. Try to keep up with me, rookie." 

He smiled back as he opened the door to his car and got in. 

Ian watched from afar as Sara and Jake took off. Not knowing where they were headed to, he decided he would wait for her to return to her apartment. As he turned around, he saw he was not alone on the roof of the apartment building. Standing in front of him was a large grey wolf, staring at Ian with its bright blue eyes. 

Ian returned the stare, walking towards the animal. When Ian reached out his gloved hand, the wolf snapped at it, before growling and taking a step backwards. Ian withdrew his hand and watched the animal for a moment, before walking towards the fire escape. When he looked behind him one last time, the wolf was gone. 

He descended the stairs until he had reached the pavement below. Looking behind him, he determined the ally was still empty, like it had been when he climbed the stairs. As he turned around towards the road, the same blue eyes he had seen on the rooftop met him. 

Ian stared at the wolf for a long time and the wolf returned his stare, until it suddenly turned and trotted away. Ian sighed and walked towards the road, following the animal until he couldn't see it again. When he looked at his surroundings, he noticed he wasn't far from Sara's apartment. Looking around him, he searched for the magnificent animal but it had vanished into thin air. 

He crossed the road and ascended the stairs of the fire escape adjacent to Sara's apartment. Reaching his usual spot, he sat down and waited for her to return home. As he waited, an uneasy feeling washed over him, but he couldn't detect any danger. He looked around, hoping to find the wolf again, but it had reappeared again. 

What he didn't see was the man blending into the shadows, watching him as Ian waited for Sara to return. 

His dark clothing made it easier for him to stay hidden in the shadows and no one would notice he was missing his own shadow. Only when a car would pass, he was visible for a second, but he had adjusted his position so he wouldn't be discovered easily. Looking upwards, he saw the guardian of the Blade had sat down. Behind him, he searched for the stars, knowing he wouldn't see them easily, as they had blended in with the many lights of the city. Still, he knew he had to move soon. Another traitor would needed to be punished and he could not miss it. The chosen one needed him to bring the traitor before him, soon. 

TBC. 

About the pretender thing, I have no idea where it came from, but thank you for remarking it… you gave me a few more ideas about this story. I hope I can still get a chapter a week once school starts full time again next week. A few later chapters are already in the works, one of them is nearly finished. Also, I might be moving soon, I have no idea yet, but don't worry if I vanish suddenly. 


	5. No Rest for the Dark Side

A/N: Sorry it took me so freaking long to continue this story, but the truth is, I've been busy with college, haven't written a thing since January. Right now, I'm writing the 5th chapter as well. Things are pretty much crazy here at the moment, but I hope you like the new chapter. R/R please, let me know if this is going somewhere.

Chapter IV - No Rest for the Dark Side

It was late when Sara finally returned to her apartment, having left Jake at the bar after beating him multiple times at pool. She smiled when she remembered the look on his face as he lost yet another game. 

Entering her apartment, she half expected Ian to be there waiting for her. Checking the window near the fire escape for any presence of the ex-Black Dragon, she was surprised when she found no one there. 

As she closed the window, the bracelet suddenly gave off a reddish glow. Turning around, she reached for her gun, ready for any intruder to jump forward from the shadows. She let out a sigh when she noticed Danny was her late night visitor. 

"Scared you there, didn't I?" He said as he walked around her to gaze out of the window. 

"I was expecting someone else, Danny. Why are you here?" She replied, holstering her gun. 

He turned to face her, the look on his face telling her that he was afraid of something. "To warn you. Be careful, Sara, the killer is closer than you think. Wherever you go, it's there." 

"What's there, Danny? Tell me what you know. Tell me anything that'll help solve this case." 

"Evil. It's everywhere in this city. I'm not talking about common murderers, blackmailers or other criminals filling the jails. I'm talking real evil. You have to stop it." Danny spoke, watching her intently. 

The room suddenly felt cold to Sara as realization of what Danny was telling her dawned on her. "How can I stop something I can't see, except in visions? The only thing that could've let us to the killer was rotting away this morning. The fingerprints Jake pulled from that hand couldn't be identified, because they weren't on file. Tell me more. Tell me how to find this bastard." Sara replied, pacing. 

"By believing the unbelievable. Let the Witchblade guide you, but don't count on it too much. Don't shut the others around you out of this. Someone very close to you can help you through this." 

The ringing of the phone caused Sara to look in the direction of her bed. When she looked back at Danny, he had already vanished. Sighing, she rushed to the phone and picked it up. 

"Pez, it's me. I got something about that drawing you left this afternoon." He spoke through the phone. "Think you can drop by tonight? It involves that bracelet of yours." 

"Yeah," she answered, glancing at the place where Danny had stood only seconds ago, "I'll be there in a few minutes." 

Putting the phone down on the bedside table, she reached for her coat, not noticing the dark shadow lurking on the fire escape, following her moves intently. 

Racing downstairs, she reached her motorcycle in only a few seconds. Gunning the engine, she sped away in the dark night, unaware of the lurking danger, waiting for the time to come. 

* * *

Ian opened his eyes, shaking his head to clear his mind. 

Looking around, he saw very little, until his eyes had adjusted to the darkness in the room. In the far corner of the room, he saw a figure, seemingly waiting for something to occur. The head was covered by the dark hood and its shadows; as the figure's head was bowed towards the ground. 

Suddenly, as if sensing Ian's return to consciousness, the figure looked up and stared at Ian. He tried to make out the figure's face, but to his horror, he discovered the hood was covering nothing; instead of a face, it was covering nothing more than complete darkness. 

"What are you?" Ian spoke, his voice echoing in the small chamber. 

"Do not expect an answer, Ian Nottingham, for this creature cannot speak." A heavy voice spoke from the darkness. It was followed by footsteps slowly coming closer. "It has no soul, no spirit and it is incapable of thinking for itself." 

A tall man, dressed in black, stepped forward and Ian studied him. His face showed scars from many battles, but no emotions at all. Looking back at him were two black eyes, filled with the reddish glow of burning fire. 

"Who are you?" 

He laughed. "I'm not your enemy, Ian Nottingham. You should not fear me, for I am a servant of the dragon." 

Ian tried to stand, but found his hands and feet were chained to the floor. "You say I should not fear you, but you chain me to the floor?" 

"You are a Dark Dragon, are you not?" The man asked, stepping closer. "You and I serve the same master." 

"The Black Dragons no longer exist." Ian replied, testing the strength of the chains. "I serve only the Witchblade." 

The man drew a sword. "The Witchblade…" He watched as light reflected on the blade. "Your master will soon fight at my side," Smiling, he swung the sword in an arch. "Or die by my hands." 

He turned to the creature that had been guarding Ian.

"Go, find the traitor and lure him to me."

Silently, the creature turned to obey his orders. With a creaking sound, the heavy wooden door opened and closed again, leaving the two alone in the room. 

"Soon, all of them will know their time has come. Then, they will either return to serve their master, or they will die with the rest of humanity." 

With a hollow laugh, the man turned and when the door closed for a second time, Ian closed his eyes and sighed. Testing his bonds a second time, he knew he wouldn't leave this room, unless someone handed him the key to his chains. 

* * *

Jonathan Gibbs stepped out behind the counter and walked towards the glass door. Searching for the keys in his pockets, he saw a shadow slide past his little shop. Looking out the window to find the source of the shadow, his hand found the keys he had been looking for. When Jonathan could find no one out on the streets, he moved to lock the door for the night, but something made him look outside once more. 

In front of him stood a man, who he had never seen before. As if he had been paralyzed, he stared at the stranger, who stepped forward, opening the door as if it was still unlocked. When the stranger unsheathed a small sword, Jonathan felt a surge of adrenaline flowing through his veins, urging him to run. 

Turning, Jonathan's eyes searched for an exit, coming to rest on the back door, leading to the store's storage room. Just as he started to run, he felt a cold hand clamp down on his shoulder, pulling him backwards. It was followed by a sting in his side, and the feel of something wet under his shirt. 

With all his strength, he pulled free and ran to the back room, not looking behind him to see whether the man was following or not. If he would have, he would've seen the cold grin on the man's face. 

As it were, the stranger grinned, feeling victorious. Looking down, he watched the blood drip to the floor slowly, forming a small pool of blood. 'This one will bring me pleasure to watch as he dies slowly.' He thought and stepping over the blood, he pursued the fleeing shopkeeper until he had him cornered. He observed him as the man tried the back entrance to the store. 

Jonathan tried to open the door one last time, when he felt eyes on his back. Slowly, he turned around and returned the stranger's stare. Hearing a clattering sound, his eyes were drawn to the key ring falling to the floor. 

As the stranger stepped forward, crushing the keys under his boots, Jonathan kept staring at the broken keys, until his vision was blocked by the stranger. 

"Why?" He asked, his voice not more than a whisper. 

"Because you are a traitor and you will serve as a message to the others." The stranger replied, preparing to strike; lifting his sword high and lowering it in a swift move, giving him a deep cut across his chest. 

With a scream that died halfway in his throat, Jonathan sank to the floor. Looking down at his hands, he saw them covered in his own blood. He tried to plead to the stranger, but it was return with a cold smile, as the stranger began to work on Jonathan. 

Before Sara could knock on the door, Gabriel had already opened it. Pulling her inside, he looked out in the hallway, before closing the door. "Gabe?" Sara asked, touching her friend's shoulder softly."Listen, I don't know what kind of information you've found yet, but this murder… it's not right." He said as he moved to his computer. 

"Murder is never right," she replied as she followed him, "what makes this one different?" She finished, watching him open a page on the net. 

"Your killer was sent to hell and back, Sara. He's not human." Gabriel pointed at a similar drawing on the computer screen. "This one was found a couple of years back, on an ancient burial site. It was on someone's gravestone." 

Sara inspected the drawing. There were a few differences, but other than that, the two drawings matched perfectly. "What does it mean?" She asked, stepping back to give Gabriel more access to the computer. 

"According to the matching texts, this is the sign of a warrior sent from hell to battle the good in the world. It's a pretty long story, so if you have time, you could read it completely." He looked at her. 

"Print it out for me, I'll read it when I have time." She said, taking a seat next to him. "Give me a summary." 

"Well, it dates pretty far back, but from what I can tell, it's about good and evil basically. Both sides have a warrior. They fight and if good wins, the world will do a little better: less disease, less disasters, that sort of things."

"What if the bad side wins?" Sara asked. 

Gabriel sighed. "The world is doomed. Floods, earthquakes, diseases, volcanic eruptions, the list grows long. It's the Apocalypse." He replied. 

"Where does the Witchblade have a link with this?" 

"No one knows who made the Witchblade, right? All we know is that when the world needs it, there's a Wielder for the Blade. According to this story, the swords from the warriors are made from the same metal as the Witchblade. When I read that little piece of information, I knew I was searching in the right direction." He clicked a few more links, until the screen filled with a drawing of three crossed swords. 

"What? The Witchblade and the other swords?" Sara asked. 

Gabriel nodded. "This is where the prophecies start. It doesn't say much about the Witchblade, except that at the time of the Reckoning the Wielder, that's you, needs to pick a side to fight on." He started narrating part of the text to Sara.

"Before the Reckoning could start, a side must be chosen by the Third One, the Wielder of the Blade." 

"Well, that's easy. I just don't pick a side and the fight will never start." Sara spoke up. 

"It doesn't go like that. If you read the whole thing, you'll get to the part where both sides try to win the Witchblade for their side. And if you don't pick a side, they'll fight anyway." 

"Says who?" 

"A bunch of dead wise people." Gabriel replied. He turned back to the drawing of the dragon. "Anyway, the dragon is supposed to represent the evil side. And the reason why that man was killed, is because your killer considered him a traitor." 

Sara frowned. "Traitor?" 

"Yeah. To announce his presence to his followers, he would assassinate four traitors, bringing the others a message. To return to him and his master, or to die on the coming of the Reckoning. Roughly translated, that is." He looked at her as she studied the text on the screen.

She stood up. "Four people… that's three more to go. Did it say anything about a time span?"

Gabriel shook his head. "Nope. But, I did figure out when the Reckoning is. About a week from now, a group of stars will form a straight line. That's the earliest possibility." He handed her a stack of papers. "The story, summarized of course." 

Sara took the stack of papers from Gabriel and folded it to fit in her pocket. "Thanks. Keep searching for more information."

He nodded. "Hey, can I keep this drawing? I might be able to sell it for some price." 

Sara eyed the piece of paper for a while. "It's supposed to go into Evidence, but you just told me I can't bring the killer to justice anyhow. Keep it." She replied, opening the door. "Take care, Gabriel." 

"Yeah, thanks." He said as she pulled the door shut behind her. 

Sara stood still in the hallway for a moment, processing the information she had just received. She remembered the conversation with Danny. He hadn't been lying to her when he had appeared to her in her living room. His concern for her had been genuine. 

Walking back to her motorcycle, her cell phone rang. Answering it, she wasn't surprised to hear the voice of Irons. 

"Hello Mr. Irons." She replied. "What's the occasion?" She asked, feeling somewhat annoyed that he was calling her. She looked around her, expecting to see Ian hiding behind something, watching her. 

"Ian is gone." He replied. "Last night, I send him to follow you, but I haven't heard from him since." 

"I haven't seen him either." Sara returned. "Maybe he just hasn't contacted yet, because nothing interesting has happened." Sara offered. 

"He always contacts me. Even when it is to tell me nothing has happened." 

"Listen, I'll look for him and when I find him, I'll tell him to contact you." She replied. "I'm in a hurry, so I have to go now." 

"Good, tell him that. I wouldn't wish for anything to happen to either of you." With that, he broke the connection and Sara sighed. 

Looking in the far distance, she whispered in the night. "Where are you Ian? Are you really missing or are you watching me from some street corner?" 

TBC

Let me know what you guys think, okay? I hope to have the next chapter finished by tomorrow, if the computer wants to cooperate. 


	6. Meetings

Kudos for those who recognize which book I used for a name. You deserve some cookies!

Chapter V - Meetings

When Sara opened the door to her apartment half an hour later, she immediately knew something was out of place. A quick glance at the glowing Witchblade confirmed her suspicions. 

Taking a few steps into the room, she felt someone watching her from the shadows, following her every move. Reaching for her gun with one hand, she felt for the light switch with the other. 

Could it be Ian watching her? 

Had he been here the whole time? 

Parts of her conversation with Irons flashed through her mind. If Ian had been watching her the whole time, why would Irons tell her he was missing? Why tell her in the first place?

Finding the light switch, she flipped it on. The bright light blinded her for a moment, but when her eyes had adjusted to the change from dark to light, she found herself face to face with a large grey wolf. The creature had his teeth bared as it looked at Sara. 

With the light reflecting on his white fangs, flashes of memories passed Sara's eyes. They weren't familiar to her at first sight, but something was stirring inside her. Then she remembered the dream she had, a few nights ago before all this had started. The dream had seemed vague to Sara and she hadn't thought about it anymore, until now. 

Not knowing why, she reached out her right hand towards the wolf, while pocketing her gun. The animal growled as her hand came closer and almost instantaneously, the Witchblade began to glow. It transported Sara to a misty forest. She recognized the open space from her dream.

Looking around, she saw no one except her and the grey wolf. Her surroundings and the animal before her made no sense to Sara nor could she think of any link with her open case. More images flashed by her, but none of it showed a link to the murders. 

Again, she looked at the wolf, which was now lying down in the damp earth. Getting down on her knees, she reached out to touch the wolf once more. 

"So far, so good." She thought. Everything was exactly as in her dream, the grey animal included. Everytime she would try to touch it, the beast would disappear. If everything went the same as in her dream, she wouldn't be able to touch the wolf. 

Sara moved closer to the wolf until her hand could easily reach the head of the animal. Taking a deep breath, she started stroking the fur on his head. The wolf responded by pushing its head in her hand. Sara marveled at the softness of the wolf's fur as she continued stroking the animal's head.

Suddenly, its head shot up and the wolf started trotting away, passing Sara. She turned around to look for what had caused the wolf to jog away. Sara was surprised when she found a young woman standing behind her, dressed in medieval armor. 

The wolf stopped when he had reached her and sat down at her feet. 

"Who are you?" Sara asked, reaching for her gun, but she wasn't carrying it anymore. Her clothes were replaced by the Witchblades armor. She was completely unarmed, except for the Witchblade. "Where am I?" 

She looked at the figure in front of her, who hadn't moved since Sara had turned around. 

For a moment, Sara thought she was talking to a statue, until the woman suddenly took a few steps forward. Sara's eyes were drawn to the armored arm when a sharp blade slid from the woman's hand. To her surprise, the Witchblade transformed as well, leaving her with her sword. 

Still, the female warrior stepped forward, raising her sword. Sara took a few steps backwards, but when the Witchblade began to glow brightly, she felt her feet move forward, closer towards the young woman in front of her. 

The wolf hadn't moved when its master had stepped forward and it was now watching the two women intently.  

"Who are you?" Sara repeated, raising the Witchblade in defense. 

"I'm Light. I represent the good in people, the afterlife and rebirth." The woman responded. 

'Good, we're getting somewhere.' Sara thought. "Where are we?" 

"The Land before Time. Do you believe in magic?" She asked in return. "This is a place filled with magic, filled with good. Evil cannot touch us here." 

"What am I doing here?" Sara looked around her. All around her there was life. The trees showed no signs of decay, their leaves green as in spring.

"It's is the time of the Eternal Battle, soon I will have to face my enemy in the final battle. By legend, the Wielder of the Witchblade must choose her ally." 

Sara laughed. "This isn't my fight, really…" 

"You must join in the fighting, as it is foretold." The woman spoke, taking a few steps closer. 

"Listen, I'm a cop. I've got a very difficult case on my hands…" 

The woman raised her hand. "I know. The other you saw in your vision was I. The meeting happened accidentally, it could not be helped. The murderer you seek is called Aenogh, the one representing pure Evil." 

"You know the murderer?" Sara asked. 

"Yes, but you cannot capture him in your reality. You must be careful, because Aenogh will soon appear before you to lure you onto his side. If you choose for him, the world will be lost." She lowered her arm holding the sword. "He will use anything or anyone to make you join his side." 

"What do you mean?" Sara asked. "I don't understand what you're talking about." 

"You will understand when the time is right. I'll send Feanor to guard over you." When he heard his name pronounced, the grey wolf stood up and trotted over to Sara's side. "He will know who is a follower of Aenogh and who has no evil in his heart. Trust only yourself Sara, for anyone could be one of Aenogh's followers."

Sara shielded her eyes against the bright light that seemed to consume the woman in front of her. When she was able to lower her arm again, she was back in her own apartment. Looking down, she noticed she wasn't alone. Feanor was looking at her with his bright blue eyes. 

"So, you're stuck with my, huh?" She asked. 

All she got in reply was a short howl from the wolf, as he stood up to lean against her legs. 

Sighing, Sara moved to the kitchen counter to make coffee, when she suddenly remembered the paper Gabriel had handed her. Quickly, she skimmed the pages, looking for a familiar name. Having found what she'd been looking for, she tossed the paper on the counter and walked over to the wolf, who'd been staring at her, following her with his eyes. 

"Feanor, isn't it?" Sara said, getting down on her knees. "The legend doesn't say much about your part in all this, but your master sends you with every Wielder, doesn't she?" 

Feanor let out a short howl. 

"Wolves eat people, don't they?" Sara continued, watching the grey wolf as he sat down, growling. 

Sara reached out her hand to his snout. "Are you going to bite?" 

She had to laugh when she got a lick over her hand in return. 

* * *

Sara tossed and turned in her sleep, plagued by visions of the murder, plagued by the sound of battles fought long ago, voices screaming. Suddenly she was wide-awake, looking around her. Feanor had left her side during the night and was nowhere in sight. Looking down at the Witchblade, she saw it was glowing once more. Confused, she searched the room for Danny and even Ian, as she looked outside to check the fire escape. Finding no one, she turned around to get back to bed. Suddenly, she felt a rush of air passing through the room, raising the hairs on the back of her neck. Turning around once more, she saw Jake standing in the middle of her room. 

"Jake?" She blinked, clearing her eyes. When she looked up once more, Jake was gone, replaced by Ian. 

"Be careful who you trust, Lady Sara." He stepped forward and took her hand, placing a kiss upon it. 

Sara sat upright in her bed again, the events still replaying in her mind. She looked down to her hand, the hand Ian had held moments before. Feanor had his head resting on her hand, looking at her with innocent eyes. 

"A dream… it was all a dream?" Sara asked the empty room. 

TBC

I know it was a bit on the short side, sorry about that. I hope you guys like where it is going, thanks for all the reviews. I swear, all your questions will be answered, and I guess this chapter raises a whole bunch of questions!


	7. May the Fates hold off

Chapter 6 - May the Fates hold off…

When Sara arrived at work the next morning, she was met by Jake, who came hurrying towards her the minute she had parked her bike. 

"What's the rush, rookie?" She asked surprised. She glanced sideways at Feanor who had managed to follow her from the apartment. Jake didn't seem to notice the animal who stared intently at Sara's approaching partner.

"Got another murder, same M.O." Jake replied, handing her a piece of paper with the address. "The victim was found this morning, by one of the employees. The crime scene isn't far from here." Jake spoke as they walked to the car. 

They drove in silence, Jake occasionally glancing over at Sara. 

She was deep in thought, thinking about her dream of the night before and of the strange vision earlier. Feanor had disappeared the moment she stepped in the car, without letting her know if she could trust Jake or not. Sara shook her head to stop her trail of thinking, not liking the direction it was taking. 

'Jake is my partner, I can trust him.'

Looking in the rearview mirror, her heart skipped a beat when Danny greeted her. He simply sat there on the backseat, smiling at her. She had a feeling he knew more than he was letting her know. 

"What are you looking at?" Jake suddenly asked, having noticed her interest in the mirror. 

Sara quickly glanced at him, thinking of an excuse. "I-I didn't get much sleep last night." 

He smiled, keeping his eyes locked on the road this time. "I figured that… you didn't look too awake this morning. Does it have anything to do with the case? I mean, this is a weird one."

She shook her head. "No, I don't think so. Is that the place?" She asked, pointing at the small crowd forming outside a small supermarket. When she glanced back in the rearview mirror, Danny was gone again.

"Yeah, I guess that's the place." Jake answered while parking the car. "I hope this one leads us closer to the killer than the other one did." 

When Sara got out of the car, a shiver went down her back. Turning 360 degrees, she took in her surroundings, looking for a familiar face watching her. Finding no one, she sighed and entered the store. The little space was swarming with cops. 

Her eye fell on the untouched trail of blood leading towards the back of the store. The trail was already dry and numbered for evidence. Slowly, she walked forwards, entering the back office. When she saw the blanket covering the victim; one foot sticking out from underneath it; the vision hit her. 

She watched as the killer entered through the door, which had been locked a moment earlier; how the sword was unsheathed; the cry of pain as the metal cut through skin; and finally how the man was massacred. 

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Sara looked around her. Everything was the same as in her vision. Her eyes came to rest on the body, lying in a pool of his own blood. 

"I talked to the coroner. Her best guess is that the guy got killed late last night, early this morning and that the murder weapon is a sharp object, preferably a knife or a sword." Jake said, coming to stand next to her. "No living relatives, lived in an apartment above the store. The girl who found him was his only employee." He pocketed the small notebook.

She took a few steps forward, lifting the blanket to look underneath it. "Do they have any idea where his head is?" 

Jake shook his head. "No, they're still searching the area." Sara moved to stand next to him again. "Right, now that we're talking about it, I found a note on my desk this morning." Sara looked at him in surprise. "Well, actually, it was on your desk, but all it said is that they didn't find any missing heads at the other crime scene either. The murderer must be collecting them or something." 

"Did they search the apartment yet?" Sara asked.

Jake nodded. "Yeah, they didn't find anything there either." 

* * *

Ian looked up when he heard the scraping of metal on stone. A second later, the door to his cell flew open, allowing a dark form to enter. He was followed by the tall man in black whom Ian had become acquainted with earlier. 

Ian studied the dark form; it was unlike the creature that had been guarding him the first time. When he moved, Ian could clearly see gauntlets on the man's arms; he was a warrior.

"This man defies the Dragon, master." The man in black spoke, his head bowed as he spoke. "He says he serves only the Witchblade now." He added, carefully looking up to see what his master's response would be. 

The dark form turned around, studying the man before him. Then, he cocked his head and seemed to be listening to the sounds around him. 

"Bring me the heads of four traitors before the Reckoning. Do not interfere with the Witchblade or you will suffer my wrath." He spoke so suddenly that the man in black cringed. "Go now and find me the other two traitors."

Without a word, the other disappeared through the door, leaving Ian behind with the dark form. 

Ian stared at him, studying him.

"You have no fear, it seems." The dark form spoke, his voice now a mere whisper. With a move of his hands, the chains holding Ian fell to the floor with a clatter. "You are wondering who I am, who I serve and why you are being held captive." 

Ian was silent and looked away from him. Laughter filled the cell, but it made Ian shiver. The sounds felt cold, malicious to him.

"Your thoughts betray you, my friend. Yes, I call you a friend, because you once served me, the Dark Dragon. You were the best of the Black Dragons." He paced around in the cell, occasionally looking at Ian. "Your master, Kenneth Irons, he knows of the history concerning the Reckoning." 

"I studied it as well." Ian replied. "You are Aenogh, coming from the underworld to destroy the world."

"Ah yes, the world as you know it, that is. You see, I had control over the world long ago, but mankind had to find cures for diseases and make peace with their enemies." Aenogh replied.

"They stopped believing in the Reckoning." Ian added. "The Wielder of the Witchblade doesn't know of it."

Aenogh struck out in anger. "I will win the Witchblade to my side. Many out there are still my followers. They will make the world believe again." 

Aenogh started to fade, his voice echoing in the cell. "Soon…" 

* * *

Sara entered the darkened apartment slowly, looking around her as she walked to the center of the living room. A ray of sunlight peeked through the closed curtains, shining on a patch of cleared floor. She was surprised when she saw Feanor there, standing in the sunlight.

"I checked the kitchen," Jake reported, coming from a room to the left. "Nothing unusual there. Yesterday's dishes are stacked in the sink and there's cold, leftover coffee in the coffeepot." He looked around the room. "There's nothing here either." He said, sighing.

She looked at Jake, who was looking around, obviously not noticing the wolf. Looking at Feanor with raised eyebrows, the animal barked, scratching the floor with his paw.

Sara walked across the room, lifting things here and there to study them. She stopped in the patch of sunlight, knocking on the floor with her knuckles.

"The floor is hollow here." She bent down on her knees. Jake joined her in her search for a way to open the hidden space. 

"Here!" Jake exclaimed, finding a loose floorboard. "I'll get something to flip it open." He said, heading into the kitchen. He returned a moment later, holding a kitchen knife. "This should do it." With the help of the knife, he pushed out the floorboard, revealing a small space, filled with paper and trinkets. 

Sara lifted out a stack of papers, rummaging through them. Sighing, she dropped the papers to the floor. "Nothing but old bills." She looked over at Jake, who was holding up a pendant. 

"It's a dragon." He said, handing the pendant to his partner. "I guess that's the link between the two murders, but what does it mean?" He asked. "Did you get any information about that drawing we found?"

She studied the pendant. It resembled the dragon from the drawing. "Yes, I did. It was taken from an ancient myth, I didn't think it meant anything." She lied. She still didn't understand last nights dream and she didn't know what to think about everything that had happened lately.

"Well, that's all the stuff that was lying in here." He lifted a piece of paper. "Looks like a page from a book, somebody tried to burn it." He said, whipping of the dirt. "It doesn't make much sense though." 

"The protector, Feanor, and the deceiver, class=SpellE>Goloth are…" He narrated, trying the read the faded words. He didn't notice Sara look up in surprise at hearing his words. She snatched the piece of paper out of his hands.

"Hey!" 

"Last word is unreadable." She remarked.

"Yeah, I was about to tell you that. The text doesn't seem familiar to me, but then again, I don't read those kinds of books." Jake spoke.

"I think it says messengers… it ends with 'ngers'." Sara said, bagging the piece of paper. Standing up, she looked once more around the room, before heading towards the door. "We're done here." 

Jake hurried to catch up with her. "So, have you ever heard that piece of text before?" Jake asked as they exited the building and headed towards the car. 

"Nope, so it's time for you and me to hit the libraries." She replied, opening the door to the passenger's seat. Just as she was about to sit down, she noticed something from the corner of her eye. "Could you wait for a couple of minutes?" 

"Sure, what's wrong?" Jake asked, looking at her. 

"I think I saw someone I used to know. I'm going to check out that alley across the street." Sara answered, pointing to a small alleyway. 

Rushing towards the other side of the road, she entered the alley cautiously, her hand resting on her gun. She let out the breath she'd been holding once she noticed two familiar faces. 

"Danny?" She asked, coming closer. "What are you doing with… 

"Feanor? Why, we're talking about you. It seems that I might as well retire, now that you've got a new spiritual friend." Danny interrupted, petting the animal. 

* * *

Well, I read about FF.net being down for a couple of days, so I sorta finished off this chapter so you all wouldn't have to wait extra long.   
I hope you like this part, please R/R, and I'll be writing that next chapter soon! Off to see 8 Legged Freaks! 


	8. the Coming of the Storm

Chapter VII - … the Coming of the Storm

Sara looked at Danny, before looking back at Feanor, who had settled down on the cold street.

"How?" Sara asked. "Other than me, you're the only one who has been able to see him…"

"We're connected to the Witchblade, Sara. That is why we can see Feanor." Danny replied. "He is a spirit guide, sent to guide and protect you in these dark times."

"The lady who sent him to me, do you know her?" Sara spoke. "She told me Feanor would show me who I could trust."

"They call her Ileandra, although her name is not spoken anymore. You won't find it in the papers Gabriel gave you, because she has had many names in the past. She represents the Good in the world, but I'm sure you've figured all this out already." Danny said, looking at the animal at his side. "It's also everything I know." He looked over her shoulder, watching Jake. "Someone is waiting for you." He looked back at Sara. "I can't help you any further, I'm sorry." He whispered, turning around. 

Sara watched him walk into the shadows and disappear from sight. Feanor remained where he had been the moment Sara had walked into the ally. Looking in the direction of Jake, she crouched down next to the wolf. 

"Can I trust him?" She asked, before smiling. "Come on, this is Jake we're talking about… the rookie cop." She stood up and headed towards the car. One more glance behind her told her Feanor had already left again.

*********

"So, are we heading to the library next?" Jake asked when they were on the road again. He glanced at Sara every now and then, who had been studying the piece of paper in the evidence bag. "Because we have no idea what to look for, do we?" 

Sara sighed. Sometimes it was difficult to keep him in the dark about the Witchblade, but this case was making it even harder. The murders were definitely connected to the Witchblade in a way. She wondered how he would react if she would tell him the truth. 

'Hey Jake, I have something to tell you. The murderer we're looking for isn't existing.' She thought, smiling as she pictured his reaction. It would be better if she didn't tell him. 

"We should try to look in ancient books, history books, mythological... come on Jake, you could've thought of that." She replied, sighing. "Drop me off at the precinct, I'll take my bike. We should split up and cover more books that way." 

Jake looked at her, with a look that told her he wasn't liking the idea very much, but he nodded after a few seconds. 

'Good, this would give her the time she needed to get some answers,' she thought as she resumed her study of the piece of paper. If the last word really said 'messengers', what was the message Feanor was giving her? The papers Gabriel had given her had said nothing about a message either. She had to be reading this wrong; it had to be. 

Sighing, she looked up as Jake parked next to her bike. 

"Take this, I've memorized it by now." She said, giving her partner the evidence bag.

"Are you sure about this?" Jake asked as Sara got out of the car. 

"Jake, I'm sure. Now, go. I'll call you if I find anything." Sara replied, heading towards the doors of the precinct. 

"Maybe we should make a copy of it first." Jake called after her. 

She turned around and looked at him. "All right... we'll make a copy of page and then split up. Is that better?" She asked. 

He smiled as he nodded and got out of the car. 

***************

Parking her bike, she looked upwards, feeling watched. He always knew when she came to visit him with questions.

Irons was waiting for her as she entered the office. 

"Have you found Ian yet?" He asked immediately, assuming she had come to visit him because of Ian. When she had called him, she hadn't mentioned why she wanted to come.

Sara stopped for a moment, thinking about Ian. She hadn't heard from him after she had seen him here a couple of days ago. "No, I haven't found him yet. Are you sure he isn't just lurking somewhere?" She studied Irons; he seemed distressed, almost afraid. 

"I came to ask for information." She spoke again. He looked up, silently asking her to continue. "There's been another murder, same M.O. Now, I found references to something called 'the Reckoning'. Apparently, it's somehow connected to the Witchblade." 

Irons seemed to become even paler as Sara spoke, as if his fears had become true. 

"Mr. Irons?" She asked after a moment of silence, taking a few steps toward him. "What do you know about this?" She held up the piece of paper they had found at the crime scene. 

He took the page and studied it for a moment. Then, he moved towards a bookshelf and seemed to be looking for something. Sara followed him through the large office. Suddenly, Irons turned around with an old and large book in his hands.

"You'll find all the answers to your questions in here. I'm loaning it to you," He said, giving the book to her, "but I expect it back after you've solved this case."

Sara opened the book and looked through the pages, while Irons resumed his position at the window.

"I now know what happened with Ian and because of it, I'll tell you what I know." He spoke softly, staring out of the window. Looking back at her, he continued. "Have you had the dreams yet? The legend tells that the Wielder has dreams, helping her choose. It shows her the future on both sides." 

Sara nodded. "I've had one dream. I saw Jake standing in my room, but Ian replaced him when I looked away. He was telling me to be careful with whom I trust."

Irons nodded. "Do you have a spirit guide yet? I'm not talking about your dead partner. Ian told me that he visits you from time to time." 

Sara swallowed, before answering. Her bond with Danny felt sacred to her and she didn't like it that Ian knew about Danny's visits. "Feanor." She answered. From the look in his eyes, she knew that one word was enough for him to know.

Irons nodded. "I'll tell you about the dark side, because it was them who took Ian away. The drawing you found, it's their symbol. They seem to worship the dragon, but there are no references to this. They don't like the sun very much and should they win the Reckoning, the world shall know only darkness. If you want to find them, I suggest you look underground, because that's where they came from... from Hell. The people being murdered have changed their lives around, no longer believing in the dragon." He spoke, flipping through the book he had loaned to Sara, showing her the drawings of the dark side. She noticed that in all of the drawings, a large black dragon was present, mostly in the background. 

"How am I involved in all of this?" Sara asked when Irons closed the book once more. 

"When the time comes, you will have to choose between the Darkness and the Light. But beware, because you can be easily deceived and the Witchblade will not always tell you what is right." Irons warned. "You must go now and find Ian." He spoke, walking towards the door and holding it open for her. 

"Wait. These murders, they're a sign, aren't they? And who is this Goloth?" She had so many questions left unanswered. 

"It's all in the book, Sara, but I will help you. The murders are a point of reference; they will tell you where Goloth and his Master are hiding." He replied. As she walked passed him, he grabbed her arm. "Beware of the lies... promise me you will listen only to yourself. No one can be trusted, Sara, no one..." 

She saw the despair and the fear in his eyes as Irons warned her one more time. When it became clear to her that he was waiting for an answer, she nodded. "Okay, I will." 

**********

When she was standing outside once more, it was already starting to get dark again. Reaching her bike, she dialed Jake's number on her cell phone. After a few rings, her partner answered. 

"Jake, did you find anything yet?" She asked, glancing at the book she was holding. 

"No, nothing. Just a few vague references about an event waiting to happen." He was silent for a moment. "Sara, all I found was that these murders have something to do with the Apocalypse. Obviously, we have some psycho killer who read this once too many." 

"Okay. I'm coming back to the precinct, I'll meet you there." Sara said, looking around her. She had the feeling of being watched again, but it wasn't Ian or Irons watching. Hearing Jake acknowledge and hang up on her, she took one last look at her surroundings, before getting on her bike and taking off in the direction of the precinct.

**********

When Sara parked her bike in her usual spot outside the precinct, Jake was already waiting for her. He eyed the book she was carrying. 

"Seems you made more progress than me." He remarked as Sara handed him the ancient book.

"It doesn't get us much closer to finding the guy who's doing this." Sara replied, entering their office. "Although, the crime scenes are supposed to tell us where he's hiding." 

Jake looked up. "How?" 

She sighed. "I have no idea." Running her hand through her hair, she said down on a chair. "It could be in the middle of the four points, something mathematical." 

"Well, it doesn't help us much further at this point. We only have two locations at the moment." Jake spoke. "I'm getting coffee, should I bring some back for you?" He said, standing up and grabbing an empty mug. When Sara nodded, he grabbed a second mug and left towards the coffee machine. Outside, it was becoming pitch black as the night began to fall.

**********

One by one, they were coming. They entered the city when no one could see them, using the shadows of the night as their ally. Slowly, they were gathering, waiting until their master would call them to witness the Reckoning. They were the warriors of old, made immortal by the powers of their master.

**********

Gabriel ran as fast as his legs could carry him, but who ever it was following him, wasn't giving up. Reaching into his pocket for his cell phone, he hit the speed dial button. Hearing the phone getting picked up on the other side, he glanced behind him. 

He was still being followed. 

"Sara, it's me, Gabriel. Some one is following me; I don't know who it is." Gabriel said as she answered the phone. "I'm pretty sure it has to do with your case."

"Where are you now?" She asked, grabbing the keys to her bike. The concern for her friend was evident in her voice.

"I'm heading towards the subway station nearest to my place. Maybe I can get rid of who ever it is, down there." 

Grabbing her helmet, Sara left the small office she shared with Jake and headed towards the exit. "Listen to me; I'm on my way to you. Gabriel, whatever you do, don't go below the ground." She remembered all too well what Irons had told her earlier. 

She reached her bike in record time and gunning the engine, she took off in Gabriel's direction.

* * *

Sorry it took me such a long time to update, but I had to go back to college. I had some of this written out back in August. Let me know what you think and I hope to update the next chapter this week. It might be short though. 


	9. Gabriel's story

A/N: Sorry it took me ages to post a new part. Comments prodded me into writing the next two chapters. Actually, this on was written almost a year ago maybe, the final touches were made in the summer. Since I felt stuck on where to lead the story next, I didn't feel I should be posting the chapter. A recent comment made me realize people are reading it still and waiting for an end to it. I thank you for your support. The tone might have switched a bit, my apologies for this. A new muse and a break are the cause of this. Please, comments and criticism are welcome.  
  
Chapter 8 - Gabriel's Story  
  
Sara saw Gabriel running along the sidewalk as she entered the street. He had been running in circles after he had called her to come to his rescue. She stopped in front of him, making him look up in surprise.  
  
"Sara..."  
  
"Get behind me. Is he still following you?" She spoke, looking in the direction he had come from.  
  
"Yes," He replied, taking deep breaths, "There he is!" Gabriel pointed at a man dressed in black, his features hidden in the shadows.  
  
"You have betrayed the Dragon!" The stranger spoke, his voice carrying across the street. "He will come for you!"  
  
"Sara, let's go." Gabriel spoke softly.  
  
Before she could do anything, the Witchblade came to life. She felt herself drawn to the stranger in the shadows. This was her link with the murders. He could lead her to Ian. With the blade drawn, she got off her bike and moved towards him.  
  
"Sara!" Gabriel hissed, not liking the situation.  
  
Only a few more steps and she would be able to see who it was. A few more steps and she would be able to get some answers. However, before she could get any closer, he ran off in the direction of a nearby subway entrance, staying in the shadows the entire time.  
  


* * *

  
"Why is he after you?" Sara asked as they walked on the sidewalk. She looked at her friend; he was scared. "He's only interested in those who betrayed him." Looking behind them, she was sure she had scared off the killer when she had arrived.  
  
Gabriel sighed, getting her attention. He looked miserable in the dim light of the streetlights.  
  
"Oh Gabriel... tell me you didn't..." She spoke, running her hand through her hair.  
  
"Listen, it isn't what you think!" He started.  
  
As they passed a diner still open, Sara pulled him inside. "We need to talk and you better tell me everything." She said as they sat down in an empty booth.  
  
"All right. A couple of years ago, there were these rumors going around the 'net, about some kind of ancient cult. I decided to check it out, see what it was about..." They were interrupted by a waitress coming to take their orders.  
  
"What was it about?" Sara asked once they were alone again.  
  
Gabriel looked around him. "Mostly about nothing, so after one meeting I had enough information. The meeting was mostly to recruit new members and they told us only the basics." He stopped for a moment, thinking. "It was mostly centered on resurrection things, or better yet, warriors from ancient times."  
  
"The guy chasing you said you betrayed the dragon."  
  
"I know and until now, I've never seen the connection between your case and that cult before. I left the meeting before it could finish. I didn't hear anything about it until now." Gabriel finished.  
  
"Obviously, they want you now." Sara spoke, looking up as the waitress came to bring their orders.  
  
"I'm the next traitor..." He sighed, sipping his coffee. "I don't understand; I never joined up. So how could I betray them?" He wondered.  
  
It was silent for a moment as they drank their coffee, each alone with their own thoughts. Suddenly Sara spoke up.  
  
"I think you need to stay at my apartment." She said, earning a confused glance from Gabriel. "Until this is over I mean."  
  
Gabriel looked back at his coffee, staring in the dark brew. "Why? He's gone now, isn't he?" He replied. "Whoever it was, knows you are have the Witchblade. With you on my side, I don't think he'll be back." He continued, pointing at the bracelet on Sara's wrist.  
  
Finishing his coffee, he set the empty cup on the table.  
  
"Listen, I think that as long I stay near you, I'll be safe." He spoke up. "I read some more of that text I found on the net for you," He started, "and the murders? They are not only a sign to the 'unfaithful' so to speak, but also a sign for us. The end result is a pentagram, with the Reckoning smack in the middle." Finished for now, he leaned back in his seat.  
  
Sara stared at him, opening her mouth to reply and closing it again when she didn't know what to say. He knew the same as she did so far. Smiling, she told him of her findings.  
  
"That's the same information I found." She simply said.  
  
At this, Gabriel leaned forward, as if he was about to tell her a big secret. "It wasn't all I found. Apparently, both sides need to bring forth harbingers to signal the beginning, one for each side. Their coming sets everything in motion. Without them, no Reckoning." He looked at Sara, who was watching him intently, but with a small smile on her face. "Something tells me this isn't news for you." After a nod, he questioned further. "Feanor and Goloth? Have they visited yet?"  
  
"Only Feanor has." She replied.  
  
Gabriel's face lit up. "Tell me what he looks like. The text hardly mentions him, but I did find out he is a shape shifter. In what form did he appear to you?"  
  
"I've only seen him as a wolf." Sara replied. "I'm the only one who can see him." She didn't mention that her dead partner, who regular paid her a visit to give her cryptic messages, could see the creature as well.  
  
"Do you see him now?" Gabriel asked in reply, looking around for a glimpse of the mythical creature.  
  
Sara shook her head. "No, Feanor left when I left the last murder scene. Gabriel? What does the legend say about Feanor?"  
  
Gabriel sat up in his seat. "Oh right, the legend. Let's see..."He said, looking over her shoulder; deep in thought. "Well, for one thing, he is supposed to keep you on the side of good, much like Goloth would influence you to choose the side of pure evil. What the legend isn't clear about though is how he is supposed to show you whom you can trust. I don't know how that works."  
  
"What else?"  
  
"Uhmm, well, he's a protector mostly. He'll protect you from evil as long as 'your heart is pure and your intentions good.' Once you face Aenogh, he'll return to his masters. I don't know who they are." Gabriel said, finishing.  
  
Sara nodded, going over the information she had just received in her head. "Nothing about how to stop the Reckoning from happening?"  
  
"Nope, nothing about that. Once it is set in motion, you can't stop it." Gabriel replied, staring outside. Suddenly he jumped up, his face turning white. "Sara!" He whispered. "Outside, in the shadows..."  
  
Sara looked outside, but seeing nothing she turned back to Gabriel, who was still staring at a point outside the diner. "What is it?"  
  
Breaking his gaze, he looked at her. "Eyes. I swear I saw eyes in the shadows, watching us. They were glowing." He said, fumbling in his pockets until he found what he was looking for. He pulled a piece of paper out of one pocket, giving it to Sara. "Look at this."  
  
She folded the piece of paper open and studied the drawing; a black creature, his facial features hidden almost completely by a black hood, except for piercing red eyes. Sara looked outside again, searching the shadows for a sign. Sighing, she turned back to Gabriel again. "Who is this supposed to be?"  
  
"That's Goloth, or at least it is what the legend says. I found this online." He replied. "I swear I saw something outside, Sara, I'm sure I did."  
  
Nodding, she quickly downed her coffee and grabbed her jacket. "Come on, I'm bringing you to my apartment." She said, grabbing his arm and pulling him to the exit, after putting enough money on the table to cover the bill.  
  
Standing outside, she moved to where she had parked her bike. Turning the corner into the small alley, she was surprised when she found Feanor waiting for her. When she slowly approached him, dragging a clueless Gabriel with her, the wolf started to growl and bared his teeth, causing Sara to stop in her tracks.  
  
"What is it?" Gabriel asked, looking around them. "Sara?"  
  
"Shhh..." She replied, studying the animal. Was he telling her she couldn't trust Gabriel?  
  
"Sara..." Gabriel said again, pulling her arm. "Turn around. I wasn't kidding when I said I saw eyes in the shadows."  
  
Turning around, Sara saw what Gabriel was talking about: in the shadows, she could see piercing red eyes watching them. "Gabriel, step behind me." She said, pushing her friend behind her. At the same moment, the Witchblade acted, turning into the blade.  
  
Goloth reacted to the Witchblade, stepping forward. Sara tried to make out his facial features, but she could only see his red eyes. Before she could say anything, Feanor jumped forward. The wolf now stood in front of her, growling at Goloth, who hissed back.  
  
"Sara? What is happening?" Gabriel asked from behind her.  
  
"Give me the traitor, Wielder." Goloth spoke, with the voice of a serpent. "We have your other friend. Give us the traitor and we will let him go."  
  
"Never." Sara replied, taking a step forward, causing the Witchblade to shine in the lights from the street.  
  
At this, Goloth fled out of the alley.  
  
Sara looked at Gabriel. "Stay here." She said and followed Goloth as he fled.  
  
She hadn't been following him for more than a minute when she heard panting next to her. Glancing to the right, she saw Gabriel running next to her.  
  
"I couldn't let you go alone." He explained and looked forward, ignoring the disapproving look on Sara's face.  
  
They followed Goloth until he entered the subway, rushing down the stairs unnoticed by other people.  
  
"Did you see that?" Sara asked Gabriel. "It was as if he absorbed all the light, staying forever in the shadows."  
  
Gabriel nodded. "Why can only we see it? I mean, I can understand your reason, but why me?"  
  
"Because you are the traitor?" Sara offered. "At least, that is how they see you now. I'm thinking he is the one who took Ian as well." She said as she descended the stairs.  
  
At this Gabriel looked up. "You mean Ian Nottingham?" He wasn't a friend of the stranger, but he wanted to know his connection to Sara. "This thing got to Nottingham?" Suddenly, he wasn't too happy with his decision to follow Sara. If someone like Nottingham couldn't defend himself from this, what was someone like him going to do?  
  
He caught up with Sara when they were standing in the abandoned subway station. "Where did he go?" Sara asked, looking around for any signs of the harbinger.  
  
TBC 


	10. The Reckoning I

Disclaimer: Don't own any of the Witchblade characters, but the story idea was mine, so are the characters that were previously unfamiliar to you...  
  
Chapter 9 - The reckoning: Running out of time  
  
Sara descended the stairs slowly, gun drawn in front of her. The damp air drifted towards them, carrying with it the smell of decaying wood.  
  
"Has anyone even been here after they closed this section?" Gabriel asked from behind her.  
  
Sara didn't reply as she moved to the bottom of the stairs while she strained to see in the darkness. They were moving further away from the opening, which was casting some light on the stairs, but the tunnel didn't go further. Reaching for her flashlight, Sara shone the small light beam in front of her, coming to rest on a heavy, old wooden door reinforced with iron.  
  
Gabriel moved past her, giving the door a small push.  
  
"It's locked and it doesn't look like anyone has been here in ages." He said as he turned around.  
  
Sara looked at their surroundings. "This is the only way down. Nobody comes here, there's no sign of electricity. This is the place we were looking for."  
  
Gabriel nodded. "You'd think so," he tried the door again. "Maybe there's another entrance? One we missed?"  
  
Sara looked back the way they came from. "This was the closest to the subway entrance near your place." She moved back to the stairs and shone the light on them. In the thick layer of dust, there were two sets of footprints. She looked upwards again, motioning to Gabriel to come closer.  
  
"No one has been here except us, look," she said, pointing at the sets of footprints. "Only our footprints are imprinted in the dust," she looked at Gabriel. "Do you have a map of the city with you?"  
  
Gabriel checked his pockets. "No, but I do remember seeing one in the subway station."  
  
Sara nodded and started towards the entrance upstairs. "The ancient text said the murders where a sign to show us where the killer is hiding, right? I'm betting there are subway entrances near the crime scenes."  
  
"But still, where did the guy that was following me go to?" Gabriel asked, following her towards the bottom of the stairs. "He can't just have disappeared. If he didn't go this way down, it means there's another way down."  
  
"Maybe he took the subway?" Sara joked as they continued upstairs.  
  
********  
  
Ian watched as Aenogh paced the room in anger. The demon had been telling him the legend for the past few hours, but had been interrupted by one of his servants.  
  
"The Witchblade is interfering with the prophecy," Aenogh spoke in anger. "The third traitor was saved by the Wielder," he looked at Ian.  
  
"Your plan is failing. Sara will never choose your side," Ian replied. "You won't win this battle."  
  
Aenogh lashed out in anger; an invisible force throwing Ian against the wall. "Do not speak to me like this, traitor."  
  
Wiping a trickle of blood away with his sleeve, he looked up defiantly. "You fear the truth." He shot back.  
  
The door was pushed open slowly as Goloth entered quietly. "Master, the third traitor is under the protection of the Witchblade." He said as he kneeled before him. "The Wielder saw me when I went back to finish the work."  
  
"Good," Aenogh replied, "everything is going as planned." With an evil smile, he turned to Ian. "Your precious Wielder is walking straight into my waiting arms..."  
  
"Master, I've sent two of your followers to bring you the head of the fourth and last traitor." Goloth spoke. "I have brought back the head of the third one. While I was luring the Witchblade to us, I stumbled upon a soul who strayed away from our path."  
  
"Good, good. Go now and prepare for the coming of the Reckoning. Slightly earlier than planned, but it will do. Do not disturb me until the Witchblade has arrived." The demon replied, dismissing Goloth.  
  
*********  
  
"Here's the second murder scene," Gabriel said pointing at the map, "and here is the subway entrance." He looked at Sara. "You were right."  
  
Sara nodded. "It still doesn't tell us where they're hiding." She studied the map he was holding. "So far, we only know three of the five points; two from the murder scene and, assuming he was out to kill you, the third point is your place."  
  
"If only we knew one of the other points," Gabriel said. "With the fourth location, we can extrapolate for the fifth location and when we have all of five of them, we would know what the middle would be."  
  
Sara was about to answer when her phone rang. Answering it, she was greeted by Jake's voice.  
  
"Sara? Where are you?" Her rookie partner asked. "I think I found something."  
  
"What did you find?" Sara replied,  
  
"I was reading through the book you brought back and although most of it could come straight from a fairy tale, I took a look at the locations of the crime scenes. Guess what?"  
  
"What, rookie?"  
  
"The killer likes to hide underground right? Both of the crime scenes are near an access to the subway." Jake said with excitement in his voice. "I think he is hiding somewhere down there."  
  
"I figured the same thing, when I was chasing him down into the subway." Sara replied, looking at Gabriel, who was investigating the old subway map. Hearing Jake repeating his earlier question, she gave him her location. From what Gabriel told her and the fear she felt coming from Irons, she knew she needed Jake for back up. She would think of something to tell him later.  
  
Sitting down on a nearby bench, she studied Gabriel as he studied the subway maps. He looked nervous, his eyes darting from left to right to keep an eye on the shadows in the abandoned subway station.  
  
********  
  
Ian rattled his chains, testing it once again for any weaknesses. He had been left alone while the demon went to prepare for the arrival of the Witchblade. He needed to find a way to escape his cell; a way to contact Sara and warn her of the upcoming danger.  
  
Sighing, he yanked the chains one last time, but when they wouldn't break, he slumped against the wall. He had no idea what was happening outside of this small cell, except that the Reckoning was coming closer and closer.  
  
Suddenly, he heard noises coming from the door; scratching noises. Could it be the wolf had actually come to find him? In that case, was Sara close by as well?  
  
"Feanor!" Ian hissed, making an end to the scratching noises. Instead, Ian was surprised when the wolf materialized right in front of him. With a low whine, the wolf circled him as if he were studying the chains binding Ian to the wall. When he reached out with a paw and touched the chains, a bright light blinded Ian. When he opened his eyes again, the chains had melted.  
  
Getting to his feet, he moved to the door and listened. Hearing no signs of life outside the wooden door, he opened the door and stepped into the damp hallway.  
  
"Where are they?" he asked the wolf waiting beside him.  
  
With a short bark, Feanor ran off into the dark tunnel. Ian looked once more around him, before he followed after the wolf.  
  
*********  
  
They heard the approaching footsteps before Jake appeared, ascending the stairs.  
  
"Sorry it took me so long to get here," he spoke, panting, "but there's been a third murder." He looked at Gabriel. "Not too far from where you live."  
  
Gabriel swallowed and wetted his lips. "How close?" His face looked pale in the dim lighting of the subway station.  
  
"One of your neighbors..." he looked at Sara. "The man moved in recently, about a..."  
  
"A week before Sara came to see me with that drawing." Gabriel interrupted. "Was he just a replacement because they couldn't get to me?"  
  
"That or he was sent to follow you." Sara mused, before turning to look at Jake. "Where was he found?"  
  
"In his apartment, so it's a small chance they attacked him because it was an opportunity," he replied.  
  
Sara looked at Gabriel, who had turned even paler as he stared off into the shadows. "We followed someone down here who was following him, but he disappeared," she explained to Jake. "They must be hiding in the old sections that aren't in use anymore. There's an old map hanging over there," she motioned to where they had been standing before Jake arrived, "and we found a dead end down the stairs."  
  
Jake studied the map for a moment, before he took out a folded map from his pocket. "This is a newer map of the subway system I found in the city's archives," he explained, "I marked the three locations of the murders..."  
  
"Over here!" Gabriel called, "I found something!" Dropping to his knees, he seemed to be trying to pull something from its place. When Sara and Jake reached him, he had cleared the opening to a small crawlspace.  
  
"Jake, can you see where this leads to?" Sara asked, switching on a flashlight and shining inside the tunnel. "It widens up ahead," she said, "enough space for a person to crawl through."  
  
Meanwhile, Jake was looking on the maps for the small crawlspace. Frowning, he looked at the hole in the wall and back at his maps again. "I think the tunnel leads to another closed off section," he said, "and it's about ten meters long."  
  
Nodding, Sara turned back and started to crawl into the small tunnel, followed closely by Gabriel.  
  
"Are you sure this is a wise thing to do?" He asked, "I mean we have no idea where this will lead us too," he cried out when he banged his head at the wall. "And I can't see where we're going at all."  
  
"Gabriel," Sara hissed as she slowed down all of the sudden, "be quiet. If anyone is waiting for us on the other side, there's no need to let them know we're coming."  
  
They continued in silence, Sara's flashlight only giving them a small beam of light, before they saw light at the end of the tunnel.  
  
"Doesn't look all that abandoned to me," Jake said when they were standing in the middle of a dimly lit tunnel. He looked at Sara, who had pocketed her flashlight. "Do you think who ever you chased down here took the same tunnel?"  
  
Sara shook her head. "We would've seen him," she replied, bending down to inspect something in the dirt. "But someone has been here recently. I found footprints," she said, standing back up.  
  
"Over here!" Gabriel called, waving at them to get their attention. When Jake and Sara had joined them, he pointed at his discovery. "That looks like blood, doesn't it?" he asked, looking at Sara.  
  
Jake inspected the dried spots in the sand and looked up at Sara. "He's right. And there's more over there," he said, pointing at a trail of dried copper-colored spots.  
  
**********  
  
Ian had been following the wolf for some time now, as the canine trotted onwards. He had no idea where he was or where they were going, but since he had been freed he hadn't seen one sign of life in the dark tunnels.  
  
Suddenly, the tunnel they had been following opened up in an intersection and Ian could hear soft chanting in the distance.  
  
'We're running out of time,' he thought, 'The Reckoning will commence soon...' He could feel Evil present in these tunnels.  
  
Looking at Feanor, they both decided on their course of action and took off in the opposite direction.  
  
***********  
  
They had followed the trail of dried blood drops into the darkening tunnels, until the lights had disappeared completely. Turning on her flash light, Sara motioned to the other to follow her into the darkness.  
  
When they rounded a corner, Sara slowed down when she saw two eyes staring at her from the darkness. She felt the others come to a halt behind her, and motioned them to silence.  
  
"Is that you Feanor?" She whispered, taking two steps forward. The Witchblade suddenly felt almost painful on her wrist; a strange burning sensation. The wolf hadn't been on her side when they entered the tunnels; had he been looking for Ian?  
  
The wolf came out of the darkness, making soft growling noises. Sara noticed his eyes were focused on the Witchblade. The burning sensation became stronger.  
  
"Sara..." Jake spoke softly behind her, moving forwards until he was standing next to her, the Witchblade in the middle. "Who is that?" Jake motioned at Feanor, who was slowly coming forward.  
  
Before she could answer, the Witchblade reacted, transforming into the sword, making Jake take a few steps back in confusion. 


End file.
